Blogger platform let me down. Reasons are here.
I was badly sick too for the past couple of weeks. I am shifting. Shifting to a new platform. A new mindset. A fresh start.
A shift in thinking.
Folks, it has been great, especially last 2 months, with the responses I got for posts here. In-fact page views increased 4 times from May to June.
So on 11 July 2012, I am shifting. Here's the new space Shift In Thinking. Spread the word. Thanks
Jul 11, 2012
Jul 8, 2012
Lasith Malinga - A Different View Point
Today I watched Malinga speaks to Kelum Shrimal in a talk show, before the start of 3rd test match (Pak vs SL). Malinga was candid, very talkative, and to the point. I was amazed to see his maturity. 4 years back he could not speak at post match interviews - a shy guy who let his bowling do the speaking.
Today, thick and through controversies like SLC player contracts and IPL endorsements, I have witnessed a matured sportsman.
He gave advises to young bowlers on how to have self discipline.
Talking about Mahela's regret over second test match decision to put Pakistan bat first, Malinga said,
Wow, I am impressed. Some one giving a different refreshing view point.
Today, thick and through controversies like SLC player contracts and IPL endorsements, I have witnessed a matured sportsman.
He gave advises to young bowlers on how to have self discipline.
" A coach can give you guidance. Don't blame coach if you cannot perform. You should know your performance limits. If you can only bowl 6 overs on a stretch, stick to that. Don't over do and kill your career"
Talking about Mahela's regret over second test match decision to put Pakistan bat first, Malinga said,
" No, I am backing Mahela for the decision he took. See, Mahela saw the chance of getting 2 wickets on a flat pitch on the morning of the first day. If we were able to get quick wickets, we could have gone for a 2-0 lead. But Pakistan batted well and the risk Mahela took, was exposed. But I back his risk taking "
Wow, I am impressed. Some one giving a different refreshing view point.
Jul 7, 2012
Entrepreneurship Is Getting Popular
Right now lot of activities are happening in Colombo - on start-ups, Social Enterprises and Venture Capital. Courses are booming, and policy makers are also beginning to breath life in to it. Geeks show interest to start their own stuff.
Bad thing right now, which can very well happen, is start-ups waiting for big money from Venture capitalists and banks, instead of trying to start things small and use one's own instincts to get things off the ground.
That is bad as not having any start-ups at all.
Bad thing right now, which can very well happen, is start-ups waiting for big money from Venture capitalists and banks, instead of trying to start things small and use one's own instincts to get things off the ground.
That is bad as not having any start-ups at all.
What Makes An Entrepreneur ?
Academics & business magazines are searching hard for the holy grail of what makes a great " Entrepreneur ". There are thousands of books out there. Millions of articles.
I talked with many entrepreneurs in last month. I was privileged to ask blunt questions, and get straight from the gut answers from all of them. These are the people who have really done the thing. The real thing of continuously be on the game of making money despite facing hundreds of obstacles each day.
I can write many stories they told me. I can even write posts on "how to be"s and "5 great this and thats on entrepreneurs".
But let me distill what they told, EACH one of them.
" I believed in ONE THING at a time . And I WORKED RELENTLESSLY to achieve it. I did not give my self EXCUSES. That meant saying NO to many things. All I could see, drink, eat and breath was MY IDEA "
I talked with many entrepreneurs in last month. I was privileged to ask blunt questions, and get straight from the gut answers from all of them. These are the people who have really done the thing. The real thing of continuously be on the game of making money despite facing hundreds of obstacles each day.
I can write many stories they told me. I can even write posts on "how to be"s and "5 great this and thats on entrepreneurs".
But let me distill what they told, EACH one of them.
" I believed in ONE THING at a time . And I WORKED RELENTLESSLY to achieve it. I did not give my self EXCUSES. That meant saying NO to many things. All I could see, drink, eat and breath was MY IDEA "
Very strange thing
Yesterday night I tried logging in to this blog. I could not. Thought it might be 'blogger' outage. But then other blogger sites were working fine. I tried to log in to admin panel, and it works fine. Yet still I cannot see the site. I can even do new posts like this from admin panel.
Strange thing is, 2 tweeps last night confirmed me that they can see the site, and works perfect. Very strange indeed. I have contacted Google and awaiting their response.
Do you have any idea, what this might be?
Jul 5, 2012
Equal Treatment In Teams
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Pic Credit: Daly and Newton |
" There's no 'I' in team, but there is a 'me', if you jumble 'team' "
~ Dr. House from House MD
Treating equal to all team members, is a myth we love to believe.
Though we say we treat equal, in consciousness we know it is not.
Look at IPL. Chris Gayle gets paid better than any other in his team, yet he's a team player. And there are other team players who gets a lower buck.
Why treat unequal? Reason is obvious. Chances of Gayle performing better is higher than the rest.
In business also, treating the best with the best is the right thing to do. The rest can wait, or deliver to the required standards.
This is reality. A painful exit from a myth we love to believe.
Jack Welch had been saying this for 20 years. Very few people had been able to digest it.
Why People Don't Bargain At Super Markets ?
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pic courtesy : Blend Images |
We are not happy with the shop in the street corner. These shops for me are examples of serial entrepreneurs. I am never tired of watching them start their work in the morning and how persistently they work hard each day to make ends meet.
Most people shopping at street corner shops are never satisfied with the deal. We check the bills, calculate total, and ask questions. We leave thinking we could have haggled more.
People happily pay bills at super markets. No checking, no questions asked. Most of us.
I am not a bargaining freak. I am happy to pay the price tag if it is reasonable. Yet the incident below, sent a shock wave in my brain.
I was at a super market in Katubedda. I had 14 items. 7 each from 2 products.
I saw Rs.120 displayed in green, on cash register, for a product which the label said Rs.100/-
Rs.20 each for 7 items equals Rs.140/-
I asked 'why?'. A polite inquiry.
'There's a price revision' the girl at the cashier continued billing.
' I will pay only the label price, if not, I will not buy'
The girl called her supervisor. He came, punched some keys on key board, and inserted a Rs.140 discount. Magic !
Since I purchased 7 items from a single product, the difference was noticed. Otherwise I won't even know.
Not a big deal. Or may be. I learned a lesson.
Have you ever had such an experience? Why you prefer super markets over street corner shop?
Please leave a comment below. Commenting here, is very easy now, as you can log in from your twitter, FB or Google+ account. No 'captcha's, and takes only 2 minutes.
Jul 4, 2012
It Was Fun - Social Media Day 2012
Had a wonderful evening at Social Media Day Colombo ( #SMdayCMB ) on June 30th. Read my previous post for context.
Sarvodaya-Fusion had an interaction session with the audience, where I explained 2 stories of how social media helped us on serving rural communities.
First story was about Eastern province floods in January 2011. Please read this post for full story.
Second story was about how smart phones through social media (FaceBook), helped a rural community in Kurunegala to connect with a conglomerate in Colombo, so that now they enjoy Rs. 1.5 million worth of coir brush orders each month.
The 4 minute video capturing that story is below.
Had a wonderful response at the event as well as long after, on tweets, emails and phone calls. I am amazed to see the eagerness of youth to connect and contribute.
Truly humbled and looking forward to connect the rural communities of Sri Lanka with the appropriate latest technologies plus the eager minds of Colombo.
Need to appreciate the wonderful support from very enthusiastic teams of Etisalat and Ogilvy. Overall it has been a great event !
Pictures of the event from 2 FB albums : Etisalat , Ceylon Today
Related Articles on the event.
Social media and innovation surge in Sri Lanka - Angelo Fernando's blog
Be inspired - My post-event thoughts on social media day Colombo - Amitha Sampath's blog
Jul 3, 2012
Asia Pacific Tech4Good Summit 2012
This post is a bit late. I've presented Sarvodaya-Fusions's Smart Village program at Asia Pacific Tech4Good Summit 2012 which was held in Indonesia from 22-23 May 2012. The outcome was quite encouraging. Also saw an application by 'One world India' on how they use SMS to educate pregnant mothers.
Tech4Good summit is about harnessing the power of technology to support nonprofits to achieve transformational change both within partner organizations and in the way they deliver services to their beneficiaries and constituents. More than 50 representatives from all of Asia Pacific had wonderful discussions and most of ideas are taken forward to next year.
Below is my presentation slides.
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